Compressor apparatus



J1me 1952 J. L. ALLEN COMPRESSOR APPARATUS 2 SHEETS-SHEET Filed Dec. 10, 1949 June 3, 1952 ALLEN 2,599,149

COMPRESSOR APPARATUS Filed Dec. 10, 1949 I 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 88 I 4 so 74 wk 7 p 82 g fifi 0C Patented June 3, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COMPRESSOR APPARATUS John. L. Allen, Boston, Mass.

ApplicationDecember 10, 1949, Serial No. 132,349

. Claims. 1 r

This invention relates to compressor apparatus.

One object of my invention is to so construct a steam compressor, such as can be used in distilling liquids, that it is water sealed and within a steam vapor space, thus saving space and eliminating the usual loss of heat from having the steam compressor outside said steam vapor space.

Another object is to so construct a rotary steam vapor compressor that it is provided with a distributor head in cooperation with a rotor whereby steam vapor is admitted, compressed and discharged while the rotor repeatedly circulates the same water Within it, never discharging it.

A further object is to provide apparatus that eliminates the usual compression chamber and suction chamber required in water circulating distilling apparatus that discharges water.

The foregoing and other objects which will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, may be accomplished by a construction, combination and operative arrangement of parts such as'is disclosed by the drawings. The nature of the invention is such as to render it susceptible to various changes and modifications, and, therefore, I am not to be limited to the construction disclosed by the drawings nor to the particular parts described in the specification; but am entitled to all such changes therefrom as fall within the scope of my claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of my compressor apparatus shown connected to liquid distilling means.

Figure 2 is an enlarged, horizontal, sectional view taken on the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure 4.

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view of the left side of the compressor portion of the apparatus.

Figure 4a is substantially a vertical sectional view of the right side of the compressor. portion of the apparatus as viewed from the left.

Figure 5 is a longitudinal, sectional view through the shaft sealing assembly.

As illustrated, there is the usual motor M having a shaft l6 and a coupling 18 connected to a drive shaft l9. A skirt 2!! is attached to said motor M' and it has sight holes 22. A hearing housing 24 for said shaft I9 is attached to a cover plate 29 for a compressor casing 39, later-described. Said cover plate-29 is attached to a collar 28 forming part of a tight, vapor housing 30, enclosing a vapor space 31, and having 2. a flange 32. Bolts 33 hold said skirt 29 to said housing collar 29, and bolts 34 hold said flange 32 to said collar 28.

Within said vapor housing 39 is the compressor C having an outer casing 36 which is oval-shaped in top plan view and has a bottom cover plate 39.

Said shaft [9 has screw threads 69. on which a nut 42 screw-threadedly fits with a lock washer 44 on and between it and a ball bearing housing 5. Said housing 46 is held to said cover plate 29 by set screws 49 and has a top cover plate 43 and the usual bearing assembly 59 is retained within said housing 43. There is abrass spacer ring 52 next to said bearing assembly 59 equipped with an Alemite fitting 54, and there isv another bearing assembly 56 next to said ring 52. At the ends of said bearing assemblies 59 and 56 are grease retaining rings 58 and at the end of said bearing assembly 56 is a brass spacer ring 60 that is sealed by a carboloy rotor ring 62. Next there is a carbon ring seal 64 bearing against a seal retainer ring 99 that is threaded as at 98. Next is an assembly ring 10 that has a sealing washer M of a material such as polytetrafluoroethylene mounted on a brass ring Hi. This sealing assembly has an enclosure or outer casing 18 that bears against said compressor cover plate 26 and said ball bearing housing 46. Said assembly ring 19 has holes therein into which coil springs 82 fit and bear against said outer casing 18 and it also has dowel holes 94 into which dowel pins 89 fit and extend into said outer casing 13 to prevent rotation of said assembly ring 19 in said casing 13. Screws 88 countersunk in said sealing assembly casing 18 hold it to said compressor cover plate 26.

A collar 92 forms a part of said shaft l9 beyond said casing 18' there being a space 94 between thecollar 92 and casing l8 to permit rotation of said shaft. 7

A rotor 96 is welded to said shaft collar 92 and is rotated by said shaft I9. It operates in a space 91 enclosed by said compressor casing 39, which, due to its oblong or oval shape, in top plan view, varies in width. The outer portion of this space 91 serves as a water seal space 99. At the narrower portions (in top plan view) of said space 97 vapor is drawn into the compressor C at the completion of the compression stroke, which stroke discharges steam from the compressor through a chamber H4 later described. At the wider portions (in top plan view) of said space 9? vapor enters the compressor Cduring all of the suction stroke, which stroke draws steam vapor thereinto through chambers II6 later scribed.

Said rotor has a core or body portion I the vertical portion of which flares outwardly and downwardly, in which a plurality of ports I02 are provided, there being one between each of the impeller blades I06 extending from said body I00.

A distributor plug I08 is fixedly set in the interior of said rotor body I00 around which the rotor vertically revolves. It flares outwardly and downwardly to conform to the flare of said rotor body I00, thus insuring a tight flt therein,

and it has a bottom flange I I0 outside said compressor casing plate 38 that is screwed as at II2 to said plate 38. A passage I I I extends upward- ,ly through the lower portion of said plug I08,

and through said flange IIO, being in com' ,munication with the ports I 02 on the suction side of the compressor C which passage III serves as a conduit for a water seal make-up, later described.

, shown, are sector-shaped, into which the steam vapor enters said plug I08 from said vapor space 3| during the suction strokes of said blades I06.

In said plug I08, at the outer part thereof, are four ports, two of which serve as discharge ports (Ia and two of which serve as suction or intake ports II8b. The ports IIBa communicate with said rotor space 91 and said central chamber II4 on the discharge stroke. The ports IIBb communicate with said rotor space 91 and said chambers II6 on the suction or intake stroke.

From said compressor casing cover 38 a discharge pipe I20, exteriorly screw-threaded as at I22, communicates with said central chamber II4, through which the super-heated steam from the compressor C flows through a pipe Ia, which serves as an extension of pipe I20, to the steam chest of the usual distilling means 7 or plant D. V

Inside said casing and extending laterally from and attached to said rotor body I00 is an upper plate I24 that rotates with said rotor next with said rotor. Said plates I24 and I25 are attached to said blades I06.

There will be a slight conversion of the water in said water space 90 into vapor by steam flash, hence I provide a water supply, intake passage including a vertically'extending passage I28. This passage I28 extends through said compressor casing cover plate 26, down the side of said compressor casing 36, through its bot- I tom cover plate 38 and outside thereof to a brass fitting I30 and to another brass fitting I32 in I the distributor plug bottom flange IIO, which drawn from outside the distilling system through a feed pipe I40, or the latter may extend to and communicate with the usual distillate chamber DC at the bottom of said distilling means as shown in said Figure 1 thus obtaining the supply from the distilling system itself.

I show my apparatus provided with an indirect passage of the water vapor from the distilling means to the compressor, which is preferable under most conditions and is highly desirable when the distilling means is used on a ship or other moving conveyance, to prevent any water from entering the compressor C. This indirect passage is made by a bottom bafiie plate I42 in the steam space 3| supported by collars I43 on said pipe threads I22, which deflects the vapor from the distilling means towards a circular bafile wall I44 connected to said plate I42 and extending upwardly therefrom spaced inwardly from the wall of said housing 30. The vapor passage is continued by means of another and shorter circular vertical, baflle wall I46 spaced laterally from said baflie wall I44 and which terminates above the bottom baffle plate I42. This indirect passage of the vapor prevents its direct entry from the distilling means to the compressor C, thus eliminating the possibility of water or other liquid passing into the suction chambers H6.

Any condensation taking place in said indirect passage will flow into a tube I48 that leads oif said bottom baffle plate I42 into an open-seal container I50 below said plate I42 and which is supported by clips I52 to said tube I48.

What I claim is:

l. Compressor apparatus comprising a noncircular, outside casing embodying a top and a bottom, a shaft extending into said casing, a rotor in said casing attached to and rotatable with said shaft and embodying a body enclosing a space interiorly thereof, said casing having an impeller blade space outside said rotor body, impeller blades attached to said body and extending outwardly into said impeller blade space, but being spaced from said outside casing at its wider portions whereby there is a space for liquid outside said blades, a plate at the bottom and a plate at the top attached to said blades and adjacent said casing bottom and top respectively, said rotor body having a plurality of ports in communication with said body interior space and with said casing impeller blade space, and a hollow, distributor plug within said rotor body interior space and fixed to said casing around which said rotor is adapted torotate, said plug having two intermediate wall portions spaced apart which together with peripheral portions of said plug define two inlet, side chambers and an outlet, intermediate chamber within said space enclosed by said rotor body, said plug having ports therein whereby said side and intermediate chambers communicate with said body ports.

'2. Compressor apparatus comprising a noncircular, outside casing embodying a top and a bottom, a shaft extending into said casing, a rotor in said casing attached to and rotatable with said shaft and embodying a body enclosing a space interiorly thereof, said casing having an impeller blade space outside said rotor body, impeller blades attached to said body and extending outwardly into said impellerblade space, but being spaced from said outside casing at its wider portions whereby there is a space for liquid outside said blades, a plate at the bottom and a plate at the top attached to said blades and adjacent said casing bottom and top respectively,

said rotor body having a plurality of ports in communication with said body interior space and with said casing impeller blade space, and a hollow, distributor plug within said rotor body interior space and fixed to said casing around which said rotor is adapted to rotate, said plug having two intermediate wall portions spaced apart which together with peripheral portions of said plug define two inlet, side chambers and an outlet, intermediate chamber within said space enclosed by said rotor body, said plug having ports therein whereby said side and intermediate chambers communicate with said rotor body ports, said top and bottom plates being movably inset in the said casing top and bottom.

3. Compressor apparatus comprising a noncircular outside casing embodying a top and a bottom, a shaft extending into said casing, a rotor in said casing attached to and rotatable with said shaft and embodying a body enclosing a space interiorly thereof, said casing having an impeller blade space outside said rotor body, impeller blades attached to said body and extending outwardly into said impeller blade space, but being spaced from said outside casing at its wider portions whereby there is a space for liquid outside said blades, said rotor body having a plurality of ports in communication with said body interior space and with said casing impeller blade space, and a hollow distributor plug within said rotor body interior space and fixed to said casing around which said rotor is adapted to rotate, said plug having two intermediate wall portions spaced apart which together with peripheral portions of said plug define two inlet, side chambers and an outlet, intermediate chamber within said space enclosed by said rotor body, said plug having ports therein whereby said side and intermediate chambers communicate with said rotor body ports.

4. Compressor apparatus comprising a noncircular outside casing embodying a top and a bottom, a shaft extending into said casing, a rotor in said casing attached to and rotatable with said shaft and embodying a body enclosing a space interiorly thereof, said casing having an impeller blade space outside said rotor body, impeller blades attached to said body and extending outwardly into said impeller blade space, but being spaced from said outside casing at its wider portions whereby there is a space for liquid outside said blades, said rotor body having a plurality of ports in communication with said body interior space and with said casing impeller blade space, and a hollow, distributor plug within said body interior space and fixed to said casing around which said rotor is adapted to rotate, said plug having two intermediate wall portions spaced apart which together with peripheral portions of said plug define two inlet, side chambers and an outlet, intermediate chamber within said space enclosed by said rotor body, said plug having ports therein whereby said side and intermediate chambers communicate with said rotor body ports, said casing having a passage at the outside thereof through which liquid may be supplied to space within said casing exteriorly of said plug intermediate wall portions, said passage being in communication with a said rotor body port.

5. Compressor apparatus comprising a noncircular outside casing embodying a top and a bottom, a shaft extending into said casing, a rotor in said casing attached to and rotatable with said shaft and embodying a circular body enclosing a space interiorly thereof, said casing having an impeller blade space outside said rotor body, impeller blades attached to said body and extending outwardly into said impeller blade space but being spaced from said outside casing at its wider portions whereby there is a space for liquid outside said blades, said rotor body having a plurality of circumferential ports in communication with said body interior space and with said casing impeller blade space, and a hollow distributor plug that is circular in cross-section within said rotor body interior space and fixed to said casing around which said rotor is adapted to rotate, said plug having two interior straight wall portions spaced apart, and together with circumferential portions of said plug defining two sector-shaped inlet chambers opposite each other, the space between said interior wall portions providing a centrally located outlet chamber in said plug, said plug having ports therein whereby some of said rotor body ports are in communication with said outlet and some are in communication with said inlets.

JOHN L. ALLEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,966,938 Stone July 17, 1934 2,195,375 Adams Mar. 26, 1940 2,302,747 Dardelet Nov. 24, 1942 2,381,700 Smith Aug. 7, 1945 2,398,184 Kleinschmidt Apr. 9, 1946 2,487,884 Lunt Nov. 15, 1949 2,532,267 Chase Nov. 28, 1950 

